Saratoga News
News
Traffic commission decision is to remove one lump on Pierce
By Shannon Burkey
The Pierce Road speed-lump conflict is a step closer to being resolved now that the Traffic Safety Commission came to a decision at its Aug. 9 meeting to remove one of the three lumps, install two speed radar trailers and increase police presence along the busy road.
"It seems like a decent compromise," Pierce Road resident Joe Wagner said. "But people will still speed between those two lumps."
Pierce Road resident Antoinette Romeo, whose father was nearly hit by a speeding car, said that she is a little surprised by the commission's decision.
"Taking one out won't make a difference; it is just an excuse to give people who speed more of a chance to speed," Romeo said.
Nearly 4,000 drivers a day travel the road, and before the lumps were installed 80 percent of the drivers were traveling over the speed limit, according to a survey done by city traffic engineers.
Neighbors, who said their safety has long been an issue, have complained to the commission for years to intervene.
But the speed lumps have been a controversial issue among neighbors and drivers of Pierce Road since their June 14 installation.
In the beginning, drivers, unhappy with the new additions, would drive through the neighborhood honking their horns and yelling at the residents. Residents were also not able to agree with one another on whether or not the speed lumps were a good addition, sparking a rift in this once peaceful neighborhood.
Romeo said she has been flipped off and even had a car "gun it" toward her. But, despite the harassment from drivers, she said she and most of her neighbors are for the lumps and would like to see them stay.
"They have made a tremendous difference and they are working very effectively," Romeo said. "I want to see another one put right in front of my house."
Pierce Road resident Coleen Wagner said that with the installation of the lumps, she is now able to get in and out of her driveway, stand in her yard and talk to neighbors and go to her mailbox without having to worry about her safety.
But not all residents are happy with the lumps and want to see them all permanently removed.
"I can't stand the speed lumps," Dorothy Miller said. "When I go over them, I have fast cars coming up behind me; it is very frightening."
Miller explained how she must slow down to 5 miles per hour to go over the speed lumps, and with angry drivers behind her, it makes for an uncomfortable situation.
"We have to drive defensively on Pierce Road," Miller said.
Traffic commission chairman Michael Bustamonte said that his office has received many emails from residents on both sides of the issue and that those who are opposed to the lumps are mainly opposed to the severity of the lumps.
Each of the three lumps is 500 feet apart and is 3 inches tall and 12 feet long.
According to the city traffic engineer, Sohrab Rashid, three months is a normal adjustment period for an installation such as this one, and the lumps have helped to reduce the average speed of cars along the road by 10 mph.
But with such an outcry from the community, the traffic safety commission decided to take interim action and remove the middle lump while they collect more data and come up with a better solution.
"This is an interim discussion," said Traffic Safety Commissioner Brigitte Ballingall. "We are looking for a compromise, but we are not willing to compromise the level of safety."
"I am a little disappointed," Romeo said. "My concern now is that the harassers will feel like they have a victory, and it will get worse so that they can get another reaction."
